Carsten Höller Is Opening a ‘Schizophrenic’ Night Club in Miami During Art Basel

The Belgian-German artist Carsten Höller is turning a former 1920s film studio into an invitation-only nightclub for three nights during Art Basel in Miami Beach. Guests of The Prada Double Club Miami, which is presented by Milan’s Fondazione Prada, will be able to move between the club, a somber space decorated in stark colors, and a colorful outdoor tropical garden,

The project is the second time Höller has created a split-themed night club. His previous iteration, The Double Club in London in 2008 and 2009, blended contemporary art, music, lifestyle, and design for eight months in an old Victorian warehouse.

“In a way, many of my works play with the idea that informs the Double Clubs, from mushrooms composed of two halves to entire exhibitions that offer split spaces and parallel experiences. The viewer is presented with choices,” Höller told artnet News in an email. “The visitor, the artwork, and the simultaneous consciousness of the experience of others triangulate to create a living thing.”

“Miami itself is not a homogenous place, but a product of cultural diaspora,” Höller added. “I think here the citizens understand the push and pull between disparate elements.”

The dramatic contrast also extends to the music. In the garden, world music will play, with a special focus on musicians from South Florida, the Caribbean, and South America. Meanwhile, electronic music will dominate the indoor space. As club-goers move between the two sections, the overlapping sounds creates what Höller expects to be a “schizophrenic” journey. Wyclef Jean will perform at the opening night party.

At the previous Double Club, Höller juxtaposed aspects of Western culture with that of the Congo throughout three spaces—a bar, restaurant, and disco—dividing each room in half to create a dialogue between the two. Diners could chose from two menus, for instance, opting for dishes like Barnsley lamb chop or a family style Congolese Fumbwa, made with yam leaves, peanut paste, and smoked salted fish.

Carsten Höller’s The Prada Double Club Miami will be on view at 71 NW 14th Street, Miami, December 5–7, 2017, from 10:30 p.m. to late.